(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for conveying a roll-shaped article. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for slowly and safely conveying a paper web roll used in a cardboard manufacturing plant or the like without any acceleration while it is rotationally displaced.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A conventional double-sided cardboard is usually produced in a laminated structure having three layers such that liners are adhesively secured to opposite surfaces of a corrugated core. In addition, a double-sided cardboard including two corrugated cores (exhibiting a laminated structure having five layers) or a twin double-sided cardboard including three corrugated cores (exhibiting a laminated structure having seven layers) is practically used depending on an application field of the cardboard. To produce each of the cardboards, a roll-shaped paper web for corrugated cores and an odd number of roll-shaped paper webs, i.e., three, five or seven roll-shaped paper webs for liners, are set on a so-called corrugator, i.e., an apparatus for producing cardboards. Additionally, operations for exchanging used roll-shaped paper webs with replacement rolls, production of each cardboard to be produced is often performed many per day, and conveyance of roll-shaped paper webs in a warehouse as well as replacement of roll-shaped paper webs are manually conducted by an operator each time an exchanging operation is performed. Some roll shaped paper webs to be set on a roll stand of the corrugator are heavily dimensioned to have a width of 240 cm and a weight of 2000 kg. For this reason, great strength is required by an operator to rotationally convey each roll-shaped paper web on the floor surface This means that a conveying operation is performed with much danger. When foreign materials are present on the floor surface, there is a possibility that a roll-shaped paper web will accidentally be damaged by such foreign matter.